Here comes some more Trixie-related stuff. I don't know if this post is quite long enough for R to sit back and put her feet up and read, but it's longer than that other wee one I wrote.
There are two things Trixie does right now that are mildly annoying. Hopefully I can get one of them stopped, and the other one will work itself out. She has this thing for not really giving her best shot at relieving when I give her a chance before a long route. Then, just when we're at a place where there's no possible place to pull over and relieve, she goes "Oh, we're going for a big walk? I've changed my mind. I have to go now." It makes me think of all those kids' stories of the kids who say "I don't have to pee." until you put their snowsuit on.
I don't understand why she doesn't get the hint. I mean, I'm wearing my backpack and a kibble pouch. I don't put those things on when we go out to visit the piddle zone. Sometimes it's not at regular pee time, and we know how much that little doggy clock is working, so you'd think, if she were logical, she would go hmmm. We're gonna go somewhere. I should at least try. But she'll just stand there and look straight ahead, not even sniffing. Then we'll set off, and you can just tell she has to go pee.
The other thing is she has gotten a wee bit lax in her pole-targeting skills. She finds the pole, but doesn't just hold her nose near the button so I can follow it up. Oh no. She starts sniffing the base of the pole, going around the pole, bla bla bla. I think that one is a monster of my own creation, so I think I can easily put a stop to that one. But it's just gotten really obvious right now.
You know, a while back, I thought about asking Chuck when he came to see me if he could teach me the clicker. But now that I hear more about it, I don't know if I'm talented enough to use it right. I mean, it sounds like you have to target the behaviour with such precision for it to work. I don't know if I have that level of accuracy. I guess we'll find out, probably years and years later when it's time for me to get a new dog. Unless of course, Trix lives forever, hahah!
Trix had her first peeing accident in the house! Whaaat? Trixter? Pee in the house? No damn way. But I think I know why. It was that time that bigger dog was here. I think the two of them had a drinking contest because the next day, when I looked at the water, it was way lower than it should have been. Combine that with the excitement and running around, and I think the poor pooch exploded. But Trixie felt so guilty. She did it, and then hung her head and went to each of us as if to say "Please forgive me!" I cleaned up and there doesn't seem to have been a stain or smell, so we're all good. Silly Trixter. You don't have to compete with the big dogs and then run with them.
As I prepare to write this next paragraph, I realize I'm talking about dog-relieving issues a lot in here. What's up with that? I just read about a doohicker that has the potential to be cool. It's a relieving harness, or toileting harness, whatever floats your boat.
Basically, somehow, a bag fits onto it, and it's belted around your dog's belly/back legs area somehow. The description of how to put it on confuses the hell out of me, but maybe if I laid eyes on one, I would understand. Basically you fasten belt to dog and then bag to belt and when doggy craps or pees, it goes in the bag. This could have come in handy when Trix had that run-in with the bone and, well, things were very very soft and difficult to pick up.
My thing is I think it would have to be like the booties. You either do this every time you relieve poocho, or never. I can't imagine Trixie being down with having something weird strapped to her belly area. I'm afraid she'd never go. I guess I'd do like that other lady did and start off with just the belt and get her used to that, and one time when I know she'd have to go poop, put the bag on.
I can't decide if I want to get one of those. It might be handy in the winter when it's hard to find poop in the snow, and it's slippery and hard to get to it...and sometimes she becomes a bit of a walk and pooper in the winter. They only cost 10 bucks, so it wouldn't really break the bank. The only annoying part is getting Trix measured, because the lady who makes these things makes each harness individually. But at least I know where to find them if I decide to go with it. Hey, it might come in handy if I ever went on a cruise or something.
It's about time for another bath for the booboo dog. I wonder if she'll purposely fail to remember where the door to the groomer's is. Devil dog. She has realized that when we go to the vet, resistance is futile, so she doesn't avoid the door anymore. Wooo! I'm so happy that snow hasn't already started. I was worried about having to take her somewhere and bathe her when it's bloody cold outside. So yea! We dodged a bullet there.
I'm trying to decide whether I want to try and see if I can figure out how to express her anal glands. Gees! Poop? Anal glands? What is with me today. Can I not think of something else to talk about? Well I did mention bathing her and sniffing poles and clicker, so I guess that counts. I read a pretty good description of how to do it, but it's whether I think I have the guts to do it, and I don't want to hurt her either. Maybe the groomer where I take her to bathe her will show me how. Then again, she wouldn't want to be robbed of business. But I'm already bathing her myself, so...we'll see.
Trixie is happy the weather has gotten nice again. I think she's like the rest of us, trying to enjoy it while she can. We had a big flexi run in a bunch of leaves yesterday. She seemed to enjoy the sniff-fest.
And that's about it. There, R, ya got your Trixie fix. *Grins*.
